Emil Anderson

Emil Anderson Construction was founded by Mr. Emil Anderson in 1938 and was initially located in Fort William, Ontario.

The photo above illustrates the method that Emil Anderson Construction used to drill and blast rock in the 1930’s for construction of the Trans Canada Highway near Nipigon, Ontario. It also shows the courage, determination and vision that Emil Anderson possessed and the hardships that he endured to establish this Company.

In 1942-43 Emil Anderson Construction was chosen to construct sections of the Alaska Highway. Emil Anderson’s son, Carl, moved from Ontario to supervise these projects.

In 1945 Emil Anderson Construction was awarded a four-year contract to build the Western half of the Hope-Princeton Highway in British Columbia. Carl Anderson moved to Hope to supervise this project, and in 1950 Emil Anderson moved the remaining operations of the Company from Ontario and established the Company’s Head Office in Hope, BC. From this base in Hope, Emil Anderson Construction developed into a multi-faceted construction operation and expanded geographically to Saskatchewan in the east and California in the south. While maintaining a reputation as one of the major highway builders in the industry, the Company expanded into hydro projects, tunneling, major earthmoving, dam construction, mining, bridges, land development, residential housing, and highway maintenance.

Emil Anderson Construction is a proud fourth generation Company with two great-grandsons in senior management. Emil Anderson held the position of President from incorporation to 1959. Succeeding Presidents were Carl Anderson – 1959 to 1976, Gil Jacobs – 1976 to 1996, Emil’s grandson, Bob Hasell held the position of President from January 1, 1997 to December 31, 2003, and Emil’s great-grandson, Mike Jacobs held the position of President from January 1, 2004 to January 15, 2017. Mike currently holds the position of Chairman of the Board. Emil’s great-grandson Robert Hasell was appointed President on January 16, 2017.

Since its inception, safety in the workplace has been the paramount core value for Emil Anderson. The Company employs a full-time Health and Safety management team who regularly visit all the operating worksites and maintain industry currency by participating on a number of boards and committees relating to safe work practices. Our slogan is “Let’s Have a Safe Job” – we live up to it.